1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to cotton gins and more particularly to suction pipes for sucking seed cotton from a compacted module. The cotton from the module is dispersed and pneumatically conveyed into the cotton gin for processing. Cotton gin operators have ordinary skill in the art.
2. Description of the Related Art
Suction pipes for cotton gins are known. An example of a known suction pipe is U. S. Pat. No. 5,117,533 issued to the same assignee as this application is assigned.
At present much of the seed cotton is conveyed to the gin suction as a module. The modules are positioned below the suction pipe and the cotton is sucked from the module by the suction pipe and thereby pneumatically conveyed into the gin.
Previously much of the cotton was conveyed to the gin in wagons or trailers. Although the cotton in a wagon or trailer may have been tromped by people tromping the cotton with their feet at present time modules are made by mechanically compressing the seed cotton tightly into the module so that there is a mass of cotton which is difficult to introduce into the suction pipe. Sometime it is difficult to get the cotton to be picked up by the suction. At other times the suction will pick up a large mass of cotton packed together causing it to form blockage at the mouth of the suction pipe.
Also, according to practice today, often the suction pipes are remotely controlled. The pipe itself is connected to a suction head which is mounted on a carriage which is mounted on a cross frame which moves rectilinearly. That is to say that the head itself can be moved longitudinally and transversely. In addition, the pipe itself can be swung from side to side at different angles from the suction head. The '533 patent referred to above discloses a bell upon the bottom of a suction pipe.